As you can imagine, it was also pretty challenging from a financial point of view.

Aye, those thimbles of ice cream at £3.50 a pop soon add up.

All four shows were in Glasgow and they were pure dead brilliant.

I got goosebumps at the King’s Theatre last Thursday when Gregor Fisher and Tony Roper — the hilarious Ugly Sisters in Cinderella — nearly took the roof off the place with a wee burst of Rab C Nesbitt and Jamesie Cotter.

On Saturday night, the brilliant Hansel & Gretel at the Citizens was quite “theatrical” and more like a posh panto (instead of chucking sweeties at the weans, they threw crudités and hummus).

The highlight of Aladdin at the Clyde Auditorium on Tuesday was the energetic, show-stealing performance from comedian Johnny Mac — like Lee Evans on speed — while the elaborate 3D effects were also impressive.

(Unlike Marti Pellow, I’m afraid, who was very one-dimensional in the 10 minutes he appeared on stage as Abanazar. Chill out, mate, it’s Glasgow — not the London West End!)

WAR & LEASE

DRAM JAM

FOUR SALE

Inside Paul Lawrie's £2.2m home with snooker room, gym and very special garden

More like bring doon the oxygen masks.

(I also needed smelling salts midway through the show when — in front of a family audience — my auld pals Cat Harvey and Ewen Cameron bravely launched into a tongue-twister routine about “cunning stunts”…)

Anyway, folks, the last time I ate Pringles at this height I was on a flight to Tenerife.

Instead of the usual usher, we were shown to our seats by Sherpa Tenzing.

In the queue for ice cream at the interval, I was stood right behind The Yeti.

And, after the show, we were safely returned to terra firm by Captain Sully.

But I still had a great view of a great show (Elfie’s Magical Adventure) and sitting in the back row of the upper tier allowed me to sneak a peek at a text message being typed by a woman in front — a Christmas cracker.

“You should come to the Pavilion,” she told a pal, “they don’t check your bag here…”

A fiver says it’s not Maltesers she smuggled in!

Tell you what, you certainly get your money’s worth at the Pavilion panto.

At 10pm — a good two-and-a-half hours after curtain up — the fella sitting next to me started anxiously looking at his watch.

And that was Ken Dodd. Good value? Oh yes it is!

From my vantage point, I could also enjoy the panto at the Palace Theatre in Kilmarnock.

PS. In her first outing in Dick Whittington, former X Factor star Stacey Solomon shocked the audience in Milton Keynes by reading from a script.

None of them realised she could read.

ON Tuesday night, a lorry fire near the Raith interchange meant drivers were stuck on the M74 for three hours.

If it wasn’t for the flames, do you think anyone would have noticed?

Meanwhile, in Bury, Lancs, a Ford Focus was destroyed by fire after a cigarette thrown out by the driver blew back in.

Great chick flicks

LAST week I asked you to suggest a few movie remakes with an all- female cast (for example, Ben Her, Schindler’s Shopping List, Good Willy Hunting and Who Rogered My Rabbit?) and here’s the pick of the bunch.

Diet Hard (David McCluskey)

Bad Hair Day At Black Rock (Andy Kerr)

Born On The Fourth Of July… But I’m Not Saying When (Tom Martin)

Florence Of Arabia, Around The Shops In 80 Days, A Terry’s Orange (Alan Lowe)

Battle of egos

I’M no big fan of Phillip Schofield, but imagine Noel Edmonds accusing him of having an ego.

In fact, imagine Noel Edmonds — the 67-year-old Deal Or No Deal presenter with the dyed mullet, dyed beard and skinny jeans — accusing ANYONE of having an ego! Still, at least Phil won’t have heard him.

After the documentary he presented on ITV this week, I reckon his head is still rammed up the Duke of Edinburgh’s bottom.